Baltimore-bred duo Spank Rock, which supplemented its old-school rapping with two djembe drummers, likewise had no luck winning admirers, but hooded Chicago MC Lupe Fiasco got the party started with a perky, confident performance. After yet another interminable break, Gnarls Barkley contributed the nights most memorable spectacle, its 12 members dressed like the cast of the Austin Powers filmskeyboardist Danger Mouse playing Powers, vocalist Cee-Lo Dr. Evilas they worked through a tight, albeit far too short, five-song set that finally brought the room to its feet for mega-hit "Crazy."
Arriving close to midnight, West improvised some quick rhymes about that single getting "robbed" at this years Grammy Awards, then playfully asked the crowd to "sing the song of the year, by the Dixie Chicks." Receiving only boos, the outspoken superstar added, "Yall dont know the song of the year?" From there, though his backing vocalists consistently struggled to stay in tune, West managed to close a laborious Valentines night with pizzazz, remaining onstage long after hed thrilled fans with "Spaceship," "Gold Digger," "Jesus Walks" and the rest of his rapidly growing menu of A-list offerings.